Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio who chose the name of Francis is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Early today, it was clear Francis would not hold to tradition, and instead, simply shared his time with the people.

According to NBC News, Francis appeared in front of a crowd of more than 150,000 in St. Peter's Square this morning, marking the first Sunday window appearance of his papacy. From there, Francis refrained from reading a prepared speech as is tradition, and instead, delivered off-the-cuff remarks about God's power to forgive. In abstaining from yet another tradition, Francis addressed the crowd only in Italian, rather than greet the faithful in several languages as his predecessors had done.

Francis' spontaneity -- a trait he has exhibited from the beginning -- has seemingly inspired a sense of closeness with many Catholics.

Reports indicate that two hours before his first scheduled, traditional window greeting at St. Peter's Square, the pontiff surprised the public with an impromptu appearance from a side gate of the Vatican before delivering a "brief, unscripted homily" at the Vatican's parish church.

After the mass, Francis stepped out of St. Anna's Church and waved to a crowd of hundreds before greeting Vatican parishioners one by one. Reportedly, one young man even patted the pope on the back, in line with the informality the pontiff has shown from the beginning.

As the pontiff made to leave, he unexpectedly walked over to the cheering masses roaring "Francesco, Francesco" behind the barricades in order to shake hands and kiss babies.

As USA Today reported, the look on the security officers' faces was one of both deep concern and resignation: clearly, the pontiff will do what he wishes; his "populist nature will not be held back."